Don’t count Turnbull out of rotation yet – Phillies evaluating multiple options originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
ANAHEIM – Don’t close the book on Spencer Turnbull in the Phillies rotation just yet.
Despite having Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Taijuan Walker all healthy at the moment, Turnbull has pitched well enough in his six starts to force the Phillies to consider all options.
And that’s exactly what they’re doing.
The Phillies started Wheeler on Wednesday, have Thursday off and will start Nola, Suarez, Walker and Sanchez at home in a four-game series against the Giants from Friday through Monday.
As for Tuesday?
“TBA,” coach Rob Thomson said with a smile Wednesday morning from the visiting coach’s office at Angel Stadium.
“Since it’s TBA, we could go to six men. But I’m sure in the next few days, probably Friday, (we’ll make an announcement).”
Six-man rotation?
Using a six-man rotation is one option, although Thomson said several times during this trip it would not be ideal because it would give the starters too much rest on the days off May 2 and 9, consecutive Thursdays.
Alternating Turnbull and another starter
Other options include piggybacking Sanchez (or Walker) with Turnbull or alternating Sanchez and Turnbull.
“You could, depending on the lineups,” Thomson said of the idea of alternating Sanchez and Turnbull.
It would be a unique situation, one that Thomson has not been a part of during his more than three decades on big league coaching staffs. It’s difficult to predict how this would affect the pitchers involved.
“I don’t know,” said Thomson. “We did that a lot in the minor leagues, but games don’t mean what they mean here, so that feeling and what happens to these guys mentally and emotionally is important.”
Sanchez hasn’t been sharp in his last two starts and stayed away from his trademark changeup on Monday night in Anaheim because he didn’t have a good feel for it. The next day, Thomson said that it doesn’t matter if Sanchez isn’t feeling the shot, he needs to keep playing because it’s his best weapon.
Thomson also said during the Phillies’ 10-game road trip that they are conscious of Sanchez’s workload. He threw 150 innings last season, but 50 of those came in Triple A, which isn’t that stressful. The Phils are not calculating a raw innings total for Sanchez or any of their pitchers, but they measure things like velocity, spin rate, arm angle and movement on a daily basis to keep a sense of how pitchers are feeling and trends.
Piggybacking on Turnbull and another incumbent
Here’s what Thomson said Wednesday morning about the back option, where Turnbull would pitch three or four innings in relief of a starter who pitched four or more innings.
“It’s TBA, but I think it makes some sense. I think you set it up, and whoever it is, you say, OK, you have four today, or five today. pitches, you’re leaving because that other guy needs to pitch. You could do it this way, maybe you start (the other) guy and he gets five.
“If they continue to pitch well, I think it will work out extremely well if we go like that because it gives the bullpen a day.”
In a piggyback situation, the starter and reliever would ideally be throwing more than eight innings, giving the bullpen a full day of rest, which is part of the appeal. The bullpen has been rested for most of the starts played thus far by Wheeler, Nola and Suarez, but “you can’t really count on that throughout the season because they’re going to have some short outings for whatever reason,” Thomson said.
Turnbull forced the Phillies’ hand with his performance. In six starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. He struck out 36 and walked 10 in 32⅓ innings with an opponent slash line of .148/.228/.261.
“Definitely very pleased and excited,” he said of his first month in the regular season as a Phillie. “The team is rolling and it’s a lot of fun. I think the biggest confidence booster is that I was able to delve deeper into games. That was the only question mark, as a starter, I think it’s the most important. But in terms of things and getting results, the confidence is there. It’s obviously good to see my hard work pay off, but it’s so early in the season.
